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 Post subject: Sand blasting aka's
PostPosted: Sat Jan 12, 2013 3:28 pm 
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Site Rank - Captain

Joined: Sun Dec 30, 2012 12:24 pm
Posts: 71
Location: NJ
Just bought a hobie AI!!! :mrgreen: :mrgreen: Super pumped took the boat out yesterday and it sails like a dream......any fishermen out there will agree this is not an ordinary kayak this is a fishing machine!!!


Ok so I have access to free sandblasting :mrgreen: I've just recently popped my aka bars to make sure the dissimilar metal corrosion problem wasnt too far along and to my relief they look good for a 4 yr old boat....holes are barely widened enough to even tell which is great.....so I would just leave them but my aka bars have started to corrode so that when I handle them they get black stuff all over everything....so here is what I need help with...once they are down to bare metal what should I coat them with?

Been doing some reading and have come up with three options

-Leave them bare in order to mute the corrosion that becomes an issue with the first inevitable scratch.....read somewhere on here it's done sometimes on big boats
-multiple coats of some type of aluminum friendly paint- suggestions welcome....protects and easily sand blasts off in a yr or two for a recoat
-truck bed liner-this stuff is tough I have used it in a bunch of other applications and it's designed to take a beating

Any other suggestions are welcome! All in all this boat is great...I bought it from someone who said he sailed it hard and after going over every inch it's in surprisingly good condition....more proof of hobie quality!


Thanks
-Jeff


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 Post subject: Re: Sand blasting aka's
PostPosted: Mon Jan 14, 2013 2:03 pm 
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Joined: Mon Jun 14, 2010 10:43 am
Posts: 483
Location: Long Island NY
I need to recond. mine as well

has anyone tried Powder Coating ?

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Alan W.

Papaya AI2 to replace my well worn V1
TheTwins - His/Hers 2007 Papaya Hobie Adventure Island's (v1.00.01)
.. and a Hobie Outback SUV


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 Post subject: Re: Sand blasting aka's
PostPosted: Mon Jan 14, 2013 9:57 pm 
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Joined: Thu Aug 16, 2007 2:25 pm
Posts: 2863
Location: Central Coast NSW Australia
Deepbluesilence wrote:
-Leave them bare in order to mute the corrosion that becomes an issue with the first inevitable scratch...


Welcome Jeff.
I'm guessing with a 4 year old AI your corrosion looks like this?:
Image

It has nothing to do with scratches. It is the result of a faulty e-coating process that was a real problem with 08 and earlier AI's. These are the aka from my 08 AI. Note how the coating bubbles. It's as if the coating itself is trapping moisture.
Image
Image
BTW -The 'new' looking brace was fitted in Feb 09 (replacing the 08 brace lost overboard after a collision) and it shows no sign of this corrosion.


The entire hull (including crossbars) was replaced with an 09 after a drivewell crack. The 09 e-coating process was much improved. In this pic you can see scratches from use but very little bubbling corrosion.
Image

Compare the above with this pic of my 07 small sail mast which is anodised. Still looks like new today yet it has seen much use.
Image

I believe the newer aka and crossbars are now anodised.

To me it's just a cosmetic issue. It looks ugly but I don't recall reading of failures caused by the corrosion. The tramps cover up most of it anyway! Some members have gone to the trouble of sanding back and repainting but report that the bubbling begins again, which is why I've just left mine as is.
Remember if you sandblast or powder coat you will have to remove all the riveted fittings.


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 Post subject: Re: Sand blasting aka's
PostPosted: Tue Jan 15, 2013 7:33 am 
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Joined: Mon Jun 14, 2010 10:43 am
Posts: 483
Location: Long Island NY
stringy wrote:
Remember if you sandblast or powder coat you will have to remove all the riveted fittings.


Why must the rivited fittings be removed if powder coated ?

_________________
Alan W.

Papaya AI2 to replace my well worn V1
TheTwins - His/Hers 2007 Papaya Hobie Adventure Island's (v1.00.01)
.. and a Hobie Outback SUV


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 Post subject: Re: Sand blasting aka's
PostPosted: Tue Jan 15, 2013 11:35 am 
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Joined: Sun Dec 30, 2012 12:24 pm
Posts: 71
Location: NJ
Well powder coating would involve baking at high temps and anodizing would involve chemical dips which wouldn't effect the plastics parts but would effect the quality to some extent I would assume.

my boat is an 09...the akas aren't nearly as bad as the ones in the pics....they are comparable to the pic of ur xbar near the cleat.....also on the flat braces of the xbars where the aka bolts connect to the hull is where the worst of it was bubbling up like on ur bars

I sanded the bottoms flat and dremeled the paint off the interior of the triangular section where the bold holes are....cleaned with alcohol and hit them with a few coats of rusto....this should get me through till I find a solution....I also threw some 1/32inch closed cell foam gaskets under the aka bars between them and the hull figure it will stop the chafing....it's also red to it matches the red on the cam cleats :mrgreen: looks stock


Anodizing might be the trick I'm just unsure of finding a place to do it I'm sure it wouldn't be too pricey as I've had small parts priced and usually price is more determined on the amount of parts to be done rather than size.....tho the bars are pretty big.....I've done some small scale anodizing on my own and it is very durable as ur actually creating a Ceramic coating of aluminum oxide on the surface


I don't know I'm just stuck obviously the performance and safety aren't effected but I don't like getting black crap everywhere when I'm transporting it and I know it will get progressively worse....really wanting to hear from those who have recoated theirs

Thanks,
Jeff


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